It was very thoughtful. I was going to give them a try today but when I got to work this morning, I realized that I do not have any of my teaware here. It had all been taken for safekeeping while I was on leave. So I can either wait until I get home, (9-10 hours from now) or use a paper cup, no strainer, and microwave heated water.... Oh, the torture.

It was very thoughtful. I was going to give them a try today but when I got to work this morning, I realized that I do not have any of my teaware here. It had all been taken for safekeeping while I was on leave. So I can either wait until I get home, (9-10 hours from now) or use a paper cup, no strainer, and microwave heated water.... Oh, the torture.

... or coffee cup and saucer ... gaiwanesque. I have done this in restaurants which usually has a server running to the table at pour time.

It was very thoughtful. I was going to give them a try today but when I got to work this morning, I realized that I do not have any of my teaware here. It had all been taken for safekeeping while I was on leave. So I can either wait until I get home, (9-10 hours from now) or use a paper cup, no strainer, and microwave heated water.... Oh, the torture.

... or coffee cup and saucer ... gaiwanesque. I have done this in restaurants which usually has a server running to the table at pour time.

Too bad there are no real coffee cups here... We literally only have paper cups here... Tragic. Really.

DarkenedSun wrote::lol: Too bad there are no real coffee cups here... We literally only have paper cups here... Tragic. Really.

Then you are on your own ... a good day for black (red) tea.

So, I tried to brew some of the shu from yesterday in paper cups... One to brew then smoosh the top so not so much leaf cones out when I pour it into another paper cup. The result is inconclusive. The first steep was weak as heck. Adjusted water amount and brewing time. The color of the brew was a nice reddish color but the flavor was very flat on all the infusions. I gave up after 5 or 6 steeps. I don't know if it's the tea or if it's my makeshift method of brewing... Oh well. I'll try another time when I have proper tools.

I've tried a few of the teas I got from YS so here are some quick reviews.

2005 Douji Red Yisheng. Good, solid, woody flavors. Nice aftertaste. Nothing to dislike about this tea, but at the same time I didn't love it. A bit lacking in endurance and not very complex. I need to give it another try.

2011 Wuliang Shan (sample). Similar to the 2009 of which I have a cake. It has a nice flowery aroma along with a surprisingly beefy, or maybe mushroom-y taste. Leaves are bit too chopped. Not great, but it's only $20.

2011 Nanpozhai (sample). The cake is $55. I was seriously impressed by this. Incredible mouthfeel, flavors of almonds, citrus, and dry woods. Powerful bitterness in the aftertaste. I got more than 20 brews out of it.

The other night I had the '08 Changtai 'Beauty of Changtai' Weird stuff, I happened to find it in my pile of samples. Very beany, lots of red leaf. I also found a giant leaf, which I've pictured next to the 'average' sized leaf in the blend.

The taste was very weird, and I have some serious doubts on if it will age or not. The big leaf was cool though. I've spent good money on 'arbor' pu-erh that didn't have leaves that big.

2011 Xia Guan Yi Wu Tuo Raw - Price for Dayi's Yiwu has gone up and so is Xiaguan's Yiwu. But this Xiaguan is still more affordable if to compare same weight vs price. How about the taste? Dayi gives the much fresher taste and good aroma + flavor. Xiaguan couldn't bring anything interesting out of it. Probably this tea just came out of container and needs some time to air itself.

2011 Dayi V93 Ripe 250g - Been quite a while since v93 is released in 250g. I have been avoiding ripe but since this just came in, so gave it a try. The dry leaves looks a bit greenish, and taste somehow is not smooth. Probably still need a year or two to stable down. But drinkable.

Crab Feet - Direct translation from mandarin. My very first time experiencing it. First smell on the leaves give the impression it is weird not nice. First sip, gives me goose bumps. Seconds sip, I start to adjust and get to enjoy it better. It is a little similar to Burdock tea which i like. Root kind of taste but sweeter. Initially, they used gaiwan to brew, but in the later brew they boiled it and the taste is even sweeter.

As we discuss in that old thread, the viscum genus (mistletoe) can be dangerous in large concentrations, so while the 'sprinkled in' version of puerh is probably okay, I would be very cautious about drinking the stuff 'pure'.....

As we discuss in that old thread, the viscum genus (mistletoe) can be dangerous in large concentrations, so while the 'sprinkled in' version of puerh is probably okay, I would be very cautious about drinking the stuff 'pure'.....

Wow.. dangerous...

Anyway, I doubt I will be buying it... It was a good experience to at least have tried it

As we discuss in that old thread, the viscum genus (mistletoe) can be dangerous in large concentrations, so while the 'sprinkled in' version of puerh is probably okay, I would be very cautious about drinking the stuff 'pure'.....

Me did a bit of search about the Latin names of "Feet of Crab". Here is what I think.

Today I got curious and went to a tea shop near my work. (Ten Ren Tea) I decided to get a couple different things and the lady helping me suggested I buy some of their loose leaf puerh. I said why the heck not and got a tiny bit to try later when I had time to brew it.This is a picture of what it looked like out of the bag (but not the exact leaves I used )

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Ok, smells ok... not very strong smelling or anything. First rinse: As soon as the water hits the leaf I start to smell a fishy smell. Ew. Second rinse: Not as fishy but still a hint in there. Now I brew my first infusion...Smells faintly fishy which makes me not want to put any in my mouth but I decide I must do this for the sake of... of... something. (not sure what I was thinking really ) So, The brew itself doesn't taste fishy. (good) It did however, have a very strange kinda beefy taste, kinda like if you leave a raw steak on the counter too long and it starts to smell a bit sour... (bad) It did have a slight hint of sweetness but no good mouthfeel and almost no hui gan. If it wasn't for the weird off-flavor, I'd say the tea didn't have much taste.

Color of the brew was actually a bit lighter than how it shows up on my computer, but everyone's monitor settings are different.

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Second infusion:No real fishy smell. YAY! Unfortunately, after brewing for only a short time (30-45sec) the liquor was getting super bitter. I didn't even want to swallow this. Third infusion:Only faint aroma from the tea and ugh... bitter, bitter, bitter. I spit this one out.Spent leaves:

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I'm gonna call this one a fail. I will not be drinking this again. Ever.I don't know what the heck was up with that stuff but you can be sure I will not be going back to that store since they thought it was ok to sell me this junk.